Archaeal biofilms: Composition of extracellular polymeric substances, exopolysaccharide synthesis and transport in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

古菌生物膜：酸热硫化叶菌胞外聚合物的组成、胞外多糖的合成和运输

• 批准号: 393406057
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Oliver Schmitz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Arbeitsgruppe Aquatische Mikrobiologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2017-12-31 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/393406057?language=en
• 关键词: Archaeal; biofilms; Composition; extracellular; polymeric

Biofilms represent the common mode of life for the vast majority of microorganisms on earth. Biofilms formed by bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms (fungi, algae) and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been intensively studied. Members of the third domain of life, Archaea, have gained special research interest due to their adaptation to extreme environments. However, there exists comparatively little information on archaeal biofilms. In the current project, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic, aerobic member of the Crenarchaeota, will be used to study archaeal biofilm formation and architecture, EPS composition and the biosynthesis and transport of exopolysaccharides (PS) as the major EPS components. S. acidocaldarius qualifies as a model organism, because the ability to form biofilms was demonstrated, it is easy to grow under laboratory conditions and it is genetically tractable. In the S. acidocaldarius genome a gene cluster with 11 glycosyltransferases and 8 membrane proteins was identified and initial studies with two deletion strains confirmed the predicted function of the encoded proteins in PS synthesis and transport. The aim is to combine state of the art techniques for biofilm characterisation, EPS analysis and a mutational/biochemical approach to unravel PS synthesis and transport and changes of EPS composition in response to environmental conditions. This project will provide new insights into composition and formation of archaeal biofilms as well as new extremozymes (GTs) of biotechnological interest.

生物膜代表了地球上绝大多数微生物的共同生活方式。已深入研究了由细菌和真核微生物（真菌，藻类）及其细胞外聚合物（EP）形成的生物膜。生命的第三个领域成员Archaea由于适应极端环境而获得了特殊的研究兴趣。但是，关于古细菌生物膜的信息相对较少。在目前的项目中，crenarchaeota的热酸，有氧成员磺胺酸酸酸钙甲甲酸磺胺糖酸性成员将用于研究古细胞生物膜形成和结构，EPS组成以及Exolysaccharides（PS）的生物合成和运输，作为主要EPS组成部分。 S. acidocaldarius有资格作为模型生物体，因为证明了形成生物膜的能力，因此在实验室条件下很容易生长，并且在遗传上是可以探索的。在酸性链球菌基因组中，鉴定出具有11个糖基转移酶和8种膜蛋白的基因簇，并进行了两种缺失菌株的初步研究证实了编码蛋白在PS合成和运输中的预测功能。目的是结合生物膜表征，EPS分析和突变/生化方法的最先进技术的状态，以揭示PS的合成和运输以及EPS组成的变化，以响应环境条件。该项目将提供有关古细菌生物膜以及生物技术兴趣的新极端同酶（GTS）的组成和形成的新见解。